UK travel just got pricier
The UK has quietly raised several travel costs this spring, so short trips are now more expensive than you expect. American travelers must now pay double for the UK’s ETA and officials recommend using the official UK ETA app, ensuring your passport matches exactly, and applying at least three working days before travel to avoid delays (The Travel; Westminster Pimlico News). At the same time, short‑term UK visit visas (up to six months) rose from £127 to £135 in April 2026, a direct hit if you’re budgeting for a city break or family visit (The Tribune).
A weekend in London now comes with a new border charge: the United Kingdom’s electronic travel authorisation now costs £20, up from £16 as of April 8, 2026, and the same fee applies to every traveler in a family, including children. (gov.uk) That electronic travel authorisation is the United Kingdom’s pre-clearance for visitors who do not need a visa for short stays, including most Americans, and airlines can refuse boarding if you do not have one when it is required. (gov.uk) The price jump looks small until you scale it: a family of four now pays £80 before buying a train ticket, museum pass, or hotel breakfast, where the same family would have paid £64 a week earlier. (gov.uk) The United Kingdom says the easiest way to apply is through the official “UK ETA” app, and the government warns that other websites can charge more than the official fee. (gov.uk, gov.uk) The app is built around one rule that trips people up: you must apply with the exact passport you will travel with, and you must enter the country using that same passport later. (gov.uk, gov.uk) The Home Office says most people get an automatic decision in minutes, but it still recommends applying at least three working days before travel because some cases are pulled for further review. (gov.uk) This is not the only spring increase. The standard United Kingdom visit visa for stays of up to six months rose from £127 to £135 on April 8, 2026, so travelers from countries that need a visa are paying more too. (gov.uk) Longer visit visas went up as well: the two-year visa rose from £475 to £506, the five-year visa rose from £848 to £903, and the ten-year visa rose from £1,059 to £1,128. (gov.uk) The practical split is simple now. If you are from a place like the United States, Canada, or much of Europe, you usually need the £20 electronic travel authorisation for a short trip; if your nationality requires a visa, you need the visa instead, and that visa now starts at £135 for six months. (gov.uk) The result is that the cheapest part of a short United Kingdom trip used to be the permission slip at the border, and this spring the government made that slip more expensive whether you are entering with an electronic travel authorisation or a standard visitor visa. (gov.uk, gov.uk)
